'DNA find' on knife in case of Kercher killing

Forensic science officers investigating the murder of British student Meredith Kercher have allegedly found DNA matching that of both the murder victim and her flatmate Amanda Knox on a knife in the house of Knox's boyfriend, it emerged last night.

Kercher, a 21-year-old student at Perugia's University for Foreigners, was found dead in her bed this month with a deep wound to the neck. A report drawn up last week by the judge overseeing the case said she had been stabbed three times, apparently during a sex attack.

Her US flatmate, Amanda Knox, Knox's Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, and a Congolese musician and bar owner, Diya Lumumba, have been detained on suspicion of a role in the killing. All three have denied wrongdoing.

The DNA samples were the first results of an exhaustive search by forensics experts. Italian news agencies, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that the traces were not found on a knife that has so far been under suspicion - a flick-knife which Sollecito was carrying when he was questioned by police.

The instrument now at the centre of the inquiry was reportedly found in the kitchen of Sollecito's flat. It was described as being 15-20cm (6-8in) long.

The tests are being carried out under the scrutiny of experts appointed by lawyers for each of the three suspects. Neither they nor the prosecutor coordinating the investigation made any immediate comment.